Interview with Andrei Manzolo

Courtesy of Vitaly Versterinen, freelance correspondent for weekly "MK Estonia". The article has been published in 25 September 2013 issue. EAK brings to your attention the article in full length.

We metwith Andrei Manzolo on September 13, the day before his fight with Max Vyrovski,which was held as part of the Xplosion event.

In thebeginning of the interview I would like to introduce you to the audience, whichis not familiar with kickboxing. How many years have you been going in forkickboxing and what made you come for training the first time?

I have been going in for kickboxing for about10 years. Before that I had been going in for karate and a little for boxing.When I was a child I watched movies with Stallone and Van Damme, and that urgedme to go in for training. I heard a lot about coach Dima Vorobyov, then I sawhim and came to him at the EAK (Estonian Academy of Kickboxing) club andstarted training. Then I found out that there were a lot of competitions anddecided to participate.

Youalready have a number of titles. Name the most significant ones.

WAKO champion of Estonia, WKA champion ofLatvia, WFCA, WAKO, WKA champion of Baltic States, acting IsKA King of the ringchampion in Muay Thai, used to be WKA bronze medallist in Muay Thai andchampion of Europe in K-1.

Forwhich title did you have to fight the hardest? Honestly,I had a lot of hard fights. I didn't win some of them, but I can't single outany particular fight.

Whatcategory do you like most of all?

Most of all I like category K-1, and duringworkouts I prefer boxing.

Forthose who don't know – what is K-1?

K-1 is very similar to kickboxing: you maypunch and kick any part of the body, and knee strikes are allowed.

Younow train and fight under contract in the UK. What is the contract and what isthe club's name?

Yes, really, I had decided to go to the UKfor some time. There are a lot of fights there and a different level oftraining. There I participate in ultimate fights, K-1, and Muay Thai. I foughteven as a boxer. I fought with the champion of the UK and won by scores. Thisis a good opportunity to earn money, gain experience and become more famous.The club I fight for works with the Phoenix MMA club.

Whatare your impressions from training and are there any fundamental peculiarities?

Training in the UK is much different; a lotof attention is paid to endurance. Loads are greater than at home. And strikingtechniques are quite different. A lot of punching combinations. Series of 6 to8 punches, which is rather rare in Estonia.

Duringmy visit to the UK I realized that their food, to say the least, leaves much tobe desired, and diet is extremely important for an athlete. Do you have anyproblems connected with food and how do you solve them?

Yes, that's true. There's a lot of fast foodin stores and snack bars. It is very difficult to find healthy food. For me itis a big problem. There's no cottage cheese and it is practically impossible tofind good yogurt and many other ordinary products. I have to spend significanttime in the bathhouse to keep myself in good shape or to eat chicken and saladsfor several weeks, though for me it is very difficult and I don’t always do it.

Preparationfor a fight should be not only physical but also psychological. What is moreimportant for you and what takes more energy?

Honestly, I always have more physicalpreparation but sometimes problems with psychological preparation may arise.Everything may get upset on the last day before the fight. It is a quitefrequent situation that even though you might be well-prepared, you may losebecause you burn out psychologically on the day of fight. I try not to thinkabout victory, not to think about loss. I just go out to demonstrate what Ihave learned. I go out to fight. Before that I am relaxed and try not to thinkabout what is waiting for me in the ring. Sometimes I tell the guys that I willfight in several hours but I don't even feel it. The very feeling of theupcoming event comes to me when I start changing clothes and putting on thegloves.

So youhave put on the gloves. You are ready to fight. How do you tune yourself withrespect to the rival? Maybe you make yourself angry or something else?

I tried to do that but I'm very kind and I can'tbe angry. I don't think about how he can do harm to me. On the contrary, I tryto feel nothing but respect towards him. Only during the fight I wait for himto start attacking me and then a veil descends over my eyes. At that moment Idon't hear anything, I don't see anybody around me, I just fight and do what Ihave been coached to do until the gong sounds.

Whatdo you do in a situation when your rival is trying to disrupt yourpsychological balance? Some fighters use disgraceful tricks for that purpose, sayunpleasant things and so on.

It is very difficult to put me out of temperin such a manner. I just do not pay attention to such insults. On the contrary,I want the rival to lose his temper and become aggressive. This is moresuitable for my manner of fighting.

How doyou relax after the fight?

You may not believe me, but I drink beerimmediately, and sometimes I drink a LOT of beer. I also like rum and whiskey.This is my method of relaxation. Then I go to the bathhouse or the swimming pool.If I am not injured, I start training already in a few days.

Whatqualities must a real fighter have?

He must be self-possessed, sober-minded, respectful,patient and courageous.

Youare already an idol for many young athletes, but do you have your own idol?

My idols are movie characters. I suppose thatmost of all I like Rocky. I like the way this man achieved everything on hisown, persistently reached toward victory, did not fail, believed in himself. Ingeneral, I like to watch motivating movies. I know who I wish to be like.

Iremind you once again that we are talking on Friday, the 13th, on the eve ofyour fight with Max Vyrovski. This interview will be published after the fight.How are you prepared for the fight?

Morally I am completely prepared. Physically thereare also no problems. I did not prepare myself against Maxim as a specificrival. I will fight just for the Estonian audience. If I lose, of course I willbe upset, but I am primed for victory. I wish myself and Maxim good luck. Themost important thing is that everything should be finished without injuries andthat the combat should be spectacular.